Bob’s Burgers star and voice of Linda Belcher on show’s ‘beautiful’ queerness

Amid a turbulent pushback on LGBTQ+ rights, the gay man behind Bob’s Burgers much-loved matriarch, Linda Belcher, is glad the show is a pick-me-up for the queer community. 

John Roberts has been the distinctive voice of Linda – the musical, raunchy and doting female leader of the burger-flipping family – since the show began in 2011. The happy-go-lucky mum was, maybe unsurprisingly, inspired by Roberts’ mother. 

Fans worldwide have grown to appreciate Bob’s Burgers for its acceptance of loveable oddball characters, and the show has gained a special following in the LGBTQ+ community for its inherent and often undefined queerness. 

That’s something that hasn’t escaped Roberts. 

He exclusively tells PinkNews that it’s “really beautiful” to think about how Bob’s Burgers has become an inclusive world where fans get lost during an extensive pushback on LGBTQ+ rights worldwide, but especially in the US. 

“There [are] so many stresses that our community is under, and we do need some kind of relief,” he says. “I think it offers, in the smallest way, that relief.

“And in terms of the acceptance [in] the way people just allow each other to exist on Bob’s, it’s the very small part of who they are, and it’s great to be part of such a wonderful show, with the writer, Loren [Bouchard], the cast and people [who] are accepting and smart and create the space for all of us to enjoy. 

“I bring such a small part to this big machine, and it’s been a joy for me to watch that unfold. I didn’t expect that when we started the show because we didn’t know everyone as well as I know them now. 

“But I do love that we have so much inclusivity with the characters.” 

Linda – like Bob’s Burgers itself – has taken on a life of her own. She’s grown from a mum of three kids working in the family restaurant to an extroverted woman with a personality.

Her passions include collecting porcelain baby figurines, drinking wine, celebrating all things Christmas and pooping in her favourite toilet at a local hotel.

Linda is also usually open-minded and accepting of other people. She cultivated a friendship with queer blogger Dalton, tried to help Nat – a boisterous, lesbian limousine driver – find love, and crafted a queer storyline for Little King Trashmouth, a raccoon who visits the bins in the alley behind the family’s restaurant/home. 

Roberts describes Linda as a natural rebel and underdog.

He moved to New York City when he was 17 to attend acting school and realised that “downtown was the place” for him – seeing the drag shows there and basking in the “counter-culture” energy as a gay person.